Because I used seasoned cubes, I would not add extra salt. (Maybe add pepper, and definitely added more sage and thyme, but Grandma also had a note to add poultry seasoning to taste and I don't bother.)

I don't know what the deal is with the 1/4 cup of water, but that seems very inadequate to me. I just dump in a can of chicken broth, mixed with the egg. It may be relevant that I never actually use stuffing to stuff the turkey though. It seems like way too much trouble to get in and out so I just bake it as a side dish.

I don't know how much sausage Grandma used, but I use one pound of either breakfast sausage, or sometimes you can get sausage seasoned for stuffing. Either is good.

Preparation

Fry the onions in the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat for at least 15 to 20 minutes (maybe longer), stirring occasionally, until the onions are deep golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Fry the bacon until chewy. Chop into large bite-sized pieces and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the pie crust and press it into a large fluted deep tart pan (or a deep dish pie pan).

Whip the eggs, cream, salt and pepper in a large bowl, then mix in the onions, bacon, and cheese. Pour the mixture into the pie crust.

Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet, cover lightly with aluminum foil, and bake it for about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the quiche is set and the crust is golden brown. (The quiche will still seem slightly loose, but will continue to set once remove from the oven.)

Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. If using a tart pan, remove the quiche from the pan, cut into slices with a sharp serrated knife, and serve!Thanks to Pioneer WomanNOTES:

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease and flour a 10 cup Bundt pan. Sift together 2¼ cups of flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 Tb. lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.

Toss the strawberries with the remaining ¼ cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter.
Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow to cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Once cooled whisk together the remaining 2 Tb. of lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.Notes: Very dense and moist. This would be difficult to overbake. This exactly filled my cathedral bundt pan to the top, and released well with lots of baking spray.

OR Leftover grilled meat (skip marinade and cooking steps if using already-cooked meat)

Sauce

2 T. rice wine

1 T. soy sauce

1 T. hoisin sauce

1 T. sesame oil

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 T. oyster sauce

1/4 tsp. five-spice

2 T. peanut or vegetable oil

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. minced fresh ginger (or 1/4 tsp. dried)

2 green onions, chopped

6 fresh shittake mushrooms, sliced into thin strips

6 napa cabbage leaves, sliced into thin strips

2 medium carrots, shredded or sliced thinly

1 c. bean sprouts (or substitute extra cabbage)

To Make Pancakes (Can be done ahead of time)

1. Using wooden spoon, mix flour and boiling water in bowl to form rough dough. When cool, transfer dough to lightly floured surface and knead until it forms ball that is tacky but no longer sticky, about 4 minutes (dough will not be perfectly smooth). Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

2. Roll dough into 12-inch-long log on lightly floured surface and cut into 12 equal pieces. Turn each piece cut side up and pat into rough 3-inch disk. Brush 1 side of 6 disks with sesame oil (I don't own a brush, so I used nonstick spray. Classy but effective); top each oiled side with unoiled disk and press lightly to form 6 pairs. Roll disks into 7-inch rounds, lightly flouring work surface as needed.

3. Heat vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Using paper towels, carefully wipe out oil. Place pancake in skillet and cook without moving it until air pockets begin to form between layers and underside is dry, 40 to 60 seconds. Flip pancake and cook until few light brown spots appear on second side, 40 to 60 seconds. Transfer to plate and, when cool enough to handle, peel apart into 2 pancakes. Stack pancakes moist side up and cover loosely with plastic. Repeat with remaining pancakes. Cover pancakes tightly and keep warm. Wipe out skillet with paper towel. (Pancakes can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw wrapped pancakes at room temperature. Unwrap and place on plate. Invert second plate over pancakes and microwave until warm and soft, 60 to 90 seconds.)

To Make Filling

1. If using raw meat: In a medium bowl, stir together the marinade ingredients and add the pork. Stir to coat and let stand for at least 20 minutes. Heat a large skillet over high heat until hot. Add the pork and stir-fry until the outside is no longer pink, 2-3 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, stir together the sauce ingredients and set aside.

3. Add 1 T. oil to the skillet. Add the garlic, ginger, and scallion and stir fry until aromatic, about 30 seconds (don't let it burn!). Add the mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, and bean sprouts (and pre-cooked meat, if using). Stir-fry until the vegetables begin to wilt, about 4-5 minutes. Pour the sauce into the skillet and stir to combine. Add the meat, if you haven't yet. When vegetables are cooked, remove from heat.

4. To serve, put pancake on your plate, add filling, and roll like a burrito.

Toss the sweet corn kernels and chopped red pepper together in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, water, mustard seeds, and cumin seeds. Pace the pan over medium-high heat until it begins to boil. Reduce the liquid to a simmer. Add the chopped onion and ground red pepper. Simmer until the onion becomes translucent, about 10 minutes. To the simmering liquid, add the sweet corn and chopped red pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the corn salsa to a non-reactive container, pressing down lightly to pack the corn. Gently pour the remaining cooking liquid from the saucepan over the packed salsa just until it is covered. Refrigerate for a day before serving (to allow the flavors to develop).

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Put the sugar and water into a saucepan and stir over a medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved, remove from heat and allow it to cool completely.

Add the gin, tonic, the lime juice and the zest. Stir and taste and add more lime juice if you think it needs it. Chill in the fridge.

Then either churn it for 15 minutes or still-freeze it by pouring it into a food-safe plastic box and putting it in the coldest part of your freezer for an hour to an hour and a half until it forms a slush when you beat it.

At this point, beat the egg white with a fork to loosen it and combine it with the sorbet mix. Then either churn for another 10 minutes until it’s slushy, or if using the still-freeze method, repeat the freeze-and-beat step twice more at 30-60 minute intervals.

Heat oil in saucepan, add onions and cook over medium heat until softened. Stir in garlic, lemon grass and ginger until aromatic — about 1 minute. Add the curry paste and stir. Pour in 1/2 of the chicken broth and stir until curry paste is dissolved, add the rest of the broth along with soy sauce and sugar. Let it simmer for 20 minutes, covered.

Stir in the noodles, coconut milk, shrimp(or chicken), and lime juice. Cook until shrimp is pink and done. Stir in cilantro, mushrooms and spinach until softened.

Combine everything except for the beer and chicken in a large measuring cup, slowly add the beer. Put the chicken into a zip top bag and slowly pour in the marinade. Seal the bag and let rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but overnight is better.

Note: This marinade also freezes well with chicken, if you don't need 4 pounds at a time, just omit the parsley until you thaw the chicken.

Directions:

Make the cake: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and 3/4 cup granulated sugar together on high speed until creamy and combined, about 2 minutes. On medium-high speed, add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and sour cream. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Turn the mixer on low speed and beat until completely combined. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the blackberries.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Set aside.

Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar together until combined. Spoon and spread over cake batter. It's a thick cream cheese topping, so do your best to spread around. Set aside.

Make the crumb topping: Combine the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry blender or two forks (or even with your hands) until the mixture resembles pea sized crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over cream cheese layer.

Bake the cake for 60-65 minutes or until it no longer jiggles in the center. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out *mostly* clean. A few moist crumbs are ok. I like to loosely cover the top of the cake with aluminum foil at the 30 minute mark to prevent over-browning.

Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing and serving. I like to place it in the refrigerator after 30 minutes of cooling at room temperature. This speeds things up.

Slice and serve. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Notes:

We used a pint of fresh blueberries, which was good.

It took at least 15 minutes longer in the oven than the directions said.

A toothpick wasn't a great indication of doneness. Bake it until the center no longer jiggles.

Whisk together flour and sugar in a medium saucepan. Whisk in milk. Place saucepan over low heat and bring to a boil, whisking continuously, then cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Pour the pudding onto a clean heatproof plate or shallow container. Immediately cover it with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap directly against the pudding's surface. Cool.

2.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk or paddle, or in a mixing bowl if using a handheld mixer, beat the butter until smooth and fluffy and lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Add the cooled pudding one tablespoon (or so...) at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and salt and beat until buttercream looks thick, smooth, and creamy, about 3 minutes.

3.

Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container or a zipper-lock bag for up to one week. To use buttercream that has been refrigerated, first allow to come to room temperature then beat until smooth and spreadable again. Cakes or cupcakes decorated with buttercream generally keep up to 3 days, stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Serve buttercream at room temperature.

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Be sure to buy the cylinder-shaped frozen tater tots (not crispy crowns or coins). Do not thaw the tots or the vegetables; they go into the hotdish frozen. For the best browned and crunchy tater tots, bake in a 13 by 9-inch Pyrex dish (deeper dishes inhibit browning). Don’t be tempted to turn on your broiler; Pyrex cannot withstand the broiler’s direct heat. Depending on the dish, you may have about 1 cup of tater tots leftover. Serve with ketchup.

2. Stir in flour until no dry spots remain and cook for 1 minute. Stir in milk and broth, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to simmer. Cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in Parmesan. Transfer to 13 by 9-inch baking dish.

3. Sprinkle peas and corn evenly over beef mixture. Lightly place tater tots in even layer over top, but do not press into mixture (you may have extra). Bake until tater tots are deep golden brown and filling is bubbling, 35 to 38 minutes, rotating dish halfway through baking. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

To Make Ahead

Hotdish can be prepared through step 2: Let cool completely, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When ready to cook, cover with aluminum foil and bake until hot in center, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove foil, stir, sprinkle evenly with peas and corn, place tater tots on top, and bake as directed in step 3.

NOTES: This is a test recipe.

I made a half batch with a pound of hamburger.

Used dried thyme instead of fresh

Missed the direction to layer the veggies (and I mixed them into the meat mixture).

We all liked it a lot! The sauce is much better than canned soup and there are none of those nasty little carrot cubes. I'd make it again.

To make the biga: Mix all of the ingredients until well blended. Cover the bowl, and let rest at room temperature for 12 to 20 hours, until the mixture is very bubbly.

To make the dough: Mix the biga with the remaining ingredients for 2 to 4 minutes, using an electric mixer set on slow speed. Increase the mixer speed to medium, and mix for about 4 minutes; the dough will be soft and slightly sticky. Add additional water or flour if necessary.

Let the dough rise in a greased bowl, covered, for 1 to 2 hours, until very puffy.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and shape it into a 6" x 12" rectangle. Using a bench knife or pizza wheel, cut out eight 3" square rolls. Place the rolls, floured side up, onto parchment paper. Let them rise for about 45 minutes, lightly covered, until they're puffy.

Place a baking stone in the top third of your oven, and preheat the oven to 450°F.

Bake the rolls for 13 to 15 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Yield: 8 rolls.

Source.

Notes

Outstanding texture! Well worth the wait.

I'd cut into 12 instead of 8 next time. They're big enough that we're cutting them in half for a reasonable serving anyway.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Have ready a 9x2-inch round cake pan. Drain pineapple and place in one layer on paper towels to absorb the excess juice.

2. Place the 3 tablespoons unsalted butter in the cake pan. Place the pan in the oven until the butter is melted. Tilt to coat all sides with butter. The extra butter will settle in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the bottom of the pan.

3. Place one pineapple ring in the center of the pan and arrange six more around it. Place the maraschino cherries in the center of each ring and in the spaces between them.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, 2 tablespoons of buttermilk and vanilla with a fork.

5. In a mixer bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter and 6 tablespoons of buttermilk. Beat on low speed just until the flour is moistened, then increase the speed to medium, or high if using a handheld mixer, and beat for exactly 1½ minutes. The batter will be stiff. Add one-third of the egg mixture at a time, beating for exactly 20 seconds and scraping the bowl after each addition. Scrape the batter over the fruit in the pan and spread evenly.

6. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and tilt the pan in all directions to detach it from the sides of the pan. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before unmolding.

7. Invert a serving platter on top of the pan. Cover your hands with oven mitts and turn the cake onto the platter. Lift off the pan. If any fruit or cherry pieces are askew, use a fork to push them back into place. If any brown sugar is left in the pan, scrape it up and spoon it over the cake. Serve warm or cool.